1. Tips for Teaching Adult Learners Pew FTLC Fall Teaching Conference August 21, 2013

2. Overview Review motivation Characteristics of adult learners Self-determination Theory Strategies for incorporating Purpose Mastery Autonomy

3. What is an “Adult Learner” American Council on Education (ACE) Adult learners are typically defined as learners over the age of 25, and are often referred to as nontraditional students. Yet for almost two decades, adult learners have comprised close to 40 percent of the college-going population, spanning a range of backgrounds and experiences, from Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and GED ® credential holders to 55-year-old professionals and skilled workers in career transition.

4. Characteristics of Adult Learners Competing interests: family, work, school Seek education as means to an end (new career, promotion, learn new skills, etc..) Learning is voluntary; it’s a choice, therefore often more motivated to learn

5. Direction and Intensity of Effort: Where do you want your students? Approach Tendency to participate, but puts forth little effort Tendency to participate and puts forth high effort Low intensity High intensity Tendency to avoid participation and if forcedTendency to avoid, but if forced to participate, puts forth great effort to participate, puts forth little effort Avoid

6. Tips for Teaching Adult Students Deci & Ryan, 1991 Purpose-how learning fits in big picture, social connectedness Autonomy- control, independence, choice Mastery- learn skill, obtain knowledge, ability *** When these needs are met, individuals exhibit optimal motivation!

7. Validate where people are Create a supportive classroom environment: Surveys Interviews Small group discussion Develop own goals for this course- what do you want to be able to do upon completion of this course? 3 techniques that enhance own learning

8. Purpose Interested in courses that focus heavily on application of concepts to real-life problems Adults bring a invaluable life experience into classroom and can learn much from dialogue with respected peers Faculty need to connect concepts to learner experience on daily basis

9. Develop course rationale statement What’s in it for me? Why do I need this information How will I benefit from it? How can I make use of it in a practical way? How will it help me be a better person or professional? ***what is your course rationale?

10. Autonomy Adults want some control over learning Favor self-directed and self-designed projects over group learning led by faculty They like more than one medium for learning(books, online resources, media, etc…) Faculty need to incorporate students interests, preferences and values into learning activities and avoid rewards, directives, deadlines and compliance requests

11. Mastery Adult learners tend to take mistakes and errors personally and take fewer risks. Adults have expectations of success and it is critical that Faculty clarify and articulate goals and expectations before getting into content

12. Mastery cont.… Change threatens mastery- adult learners might resist new information that challenges what they know/do. Need to be able to integrate new ideas with what already know if going to “keep” and “use” new information Faculty need to work slowly through the why and how of challenging information

13. Mastery: Experience makes a difference For traditional students- experience is something that happens to them vs. Adult learners define themselves by their experiences Adults are life/task/problem centered vs. Subject matter oriented

14. There is a difference Undergraduate Major usually provides only a broad overview of the field. Spend a great deal of time memorizing facts, definitions, lists, and formulas for tests and assignments Simple book reports and 5-7 page papers on general topics Graduate Entails specializing and becoming an expert in your very narrow field of study Requires ability to synthesize what is read and learned in class and ask student to critically analyze it in light of own experience and perspective. Papers require student to analyze problems by applying the literature and constructing arguments that are supported by the literature.

15. Which would be adult learner centered? Students complete a group quiz over the assigned reading at the beginning of class Students are asked to write an individual reaction or reflection paper or solve a problem based on own experience in response to the reading

16. Which would be adult learner centered? You assign a group project that requires students to “plug-in” class concepts to create a workplace policy You ask individuals to select a policy in their current workplace and update/revise it based on class concepts

17. Adult Learners Have high expectations of you, the course, themselves Need to be co-creators of knowledge Desire clear structure & expectations Desire timely and constructive feedback

18. You teach a 200 level Introduction to X Profession course for your department. Of the 30 students who have enrolled, all but two are traditional college students. One of the non- traditional students is a male veteran in his early 30’s; the other is a first time in college female in her early 40’s.

19. You teach both graduate and undergraduate classes for your department. This semester you are teaching a graduate course in which about half of the student’s recently received their bachelor’s degree in your major. The remaining half of the student’s enrolled are adult learners who are not from your program but possess rich, real world, work experience.

20. You teach graduate classes in a professional program at the university. Due to licensure and certification standards, required courses are very structured and allow for very little flexibility across the curriculum. The “lock-step” nature of this program is challenging as it requires students to acquire both a breadth and depth of knowledge/skills in a regimented time frame.